


when the night gets too heavy to hold by yourself

by sagansjagger



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, Prompt Fic, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:41:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29929431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sagansjagger/pseuds/sagansjagger
Summary: “Dance with me.” Chat held out his clawed hand, already pulling his baton out of its place on his back with the other one. “Please, Marinette.”“W-What?” Marinette blinked up at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “Dance with you?”---When Marinette is feline down, Chat knows the perfect way to cheer her up.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 26
Kudos: 140
Collections: Tumblr 500 Celebration





	when the night gets too heavy to hold by yourself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mikauzoran](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/gifts).



> This is a prompt fic for Mikauzoran for the Tumblr 500 followers celebration for the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server!
> 
> Enjoy, Mikau!

Marinette was feeling down, and Chat didn’t know why. 

He’d tried to get her to open up, but she’d resisted all his charming efforts. She was sad and indignant until he asked, “Is it about the akuma attack earlier today?”

Then she’d stiffened and clammed up, folding her arms over her middle. He’d died during that akuma attack. It only made sense that Marinette would be upset by him dying. Horrified, Chat smelled salt, but he couldn’t see her tears. 

Not yet.

Not ever.

“Dance with me.” Chat held out his clawed hand, already pulling his baton out of its place on his back with the other one. “Please, Marinette.”

“W-What?” Marinette blinked up at him with wide, beautiful eyes. “Dance with you?”

Chat retracted his hand, pulling up his “romance” playlist on his baton. He hadn’t intended for the selection of songs to be romantic, but he’d made it with Marinette in mind. He couldn’t deny his feelings anymore, and he only hoped that she felt the same.

The gentle, deep bass of Charles Trenet flowed from the baton, singing “La Mer,” Chat’s favorite love song. The song was a sprightly jazz tune from 1954 about the sea cradling hearts for life. His mother used to sing it to put him to sleep, stroking his head with nimble fingers. 

“Yeah.” Chat looked her over, determined to chase that frown away from her lovely face. “Dance with me. Please.”

Chat extended his hand again, his fingers slightly spread and beseeching. Marinette hesitated, but only for a moment. She placed her hand in his, and, placing his baton on the small of his back, he tugged her closer. 

Laying his other hand on her waist, Chat led her through a basic box step, counting out the steps under his breath for her benefit. “One, two, three… One, two, three…”

Performing a waltz with a partner was second nature to Chat; he’d been schooled in the classic ballroom dances. However, his partners had all been adults taller than he was, so dancing with Marinette was certainly a new and exciting prospect. 

She fit perfectly in his arms, but seemed stiff. Chat aimed to change that. Marinette seemed to know enough about dancing to follow his lead, or well enough, anyway. They flowed across the hardwood floor of her room, circling the hatch in the middle. 

As Chat slowed their tempo to match the strains of “La Mer,” Marinette followed. They glided across the floor with light, airy steps, their knees slightly bent but their upper bodies straight--and in Chat’s case, loose. 

“Marinette…” Chat pressed a kiss to her temple. She inhaled sharply through her mouth. “Relax.”

Slowly, Marinette began to cave. Her muscles uncoiled one by one, until her arms and legs were just as loose as Chat’s. Their feet were like a babbling brook, sliding rhythmically across the floor in a sensuous series of taps. Their physical chemistry was almost tangible and made Chat think the room was spinning.

The gentle pressure of her hands on his shoulder and against his fingers thrilled him; she leaned into his hold, her eyes shining with adoration and trust. Everything was moving leisurely for Chat; he leaned forward and drank in her scents--coffee, vanilla, and soil--like a man parched.

Just as Chat began to lose track of time, being enraptured by Marinette’s soft expression, Charles Trenet finished his song on the baton with a crescendo. The next song in the queue, “I Can’t Live Without Loving You” by Alex Beaupain, began with a flowing piano. A clear tenor bemoaned being unable to stop loving someone while also being unable to be with that person.

Marinette chuckled. “This song is sad.”

“Yeah.” Chat beamed back, leaning in close to her to whisper in her ear. “But it suits us.”

Marinette pulled back to look at him, the hand on his shoulder sliding up to the back of his neck. “Why so?”

“Because…” Chat’s voice was soft and a bit huskier than he’d intended. But there was no going back now: it was time to confess his feelings and nothing could stop him. “I love you.”

Marinette gasped, her gaze blown wide. “You love me?”

Chat nodded, both his hands coming to rest on her hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they swayed together, chest-to-chest. “I do. But I can’t be with you until Hawkmoth is defeated.” 

Marinette looked disappointed, giving him a hope he dared not name. Chat drew a breath through his nose. “If he were ever to find out about us and target you or your family, I… I don’t know what I would do.”

“What if I could protect myself?”

Chat blinked down at her, furrowing his brow. “From Hawkmoth? How?”

“What if I told you,” Marinette started, but then leaned in to whisper into his ear, “that I have a kwami?”

Chat cupped her cheeks, drawing her gaze up to him. “Ladybug gave you Mullo? You can be Multimouse again?”

“No, I…” Marinette licked her lips, drawing his attention to them. “I have Tikki.”

Chat’s eyes widened. He spoke her name with reverence, the word falling from his lips in an act of soft confirmation. “Ladybug.”

She nodded.

Chat whooped. He picked her up and swung her around, faster and faster until she was kicking her feet and giggling. “Chat! Chat! You ridiculous cat!”

Chat laughed and set her down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Go out with me?”

Marinette beamed up at him. “We should try to take things slow, but yes, we can go on at least one date. To try this out, you know?”

“What about the other boy, Marinette?”

Marinette gave him a pained grimace. “I’ve tried to confess. I don’t want to pass up what I have for what could be.” She captured Chat’s hand and brushed her lips against his gloved wrist, shooting heat through his belly and cheeks. “And I do love you, Chat Noir.”

Chat’s breath hitched. She loved him. She loved him! 

He smiled down at her through tears. “Do you want to know who I am?”

“Desperately.”

Chat chuckled, running his thumb over her cheekbone. “I’m Adrien Agreste.”

Marinette blanched. That was not the reaction Chat expected. “A-Adrien Agreste?” She threaded her fingers through his hair, smoothing his blond bangs off his forehead. “Is it you, Adrien?”

Chat swallowed hard. He’d disappointed her somehow. He knew it. “Yeah, it’s me.” He offered her a self-deprecating smile. “Not who you were expecting?”

Marinette shook her head, and Chat’s heart sank. “I… The other boy…” She floundered for words, so Chat gave her the space she needed to explore what she wanted to say. “The other boy was you.”

Chat stared at her, stunned. Then he laughed, throwing his head back and hooting. “What? The other boy was me all along?”

Marinette seized him by the collar. Her eyes burned holes into his, fixing him with a look of such determination, he fell in love with her all over again. “Kiss me, you goof.”

So Chat did.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr at [@sing-in-me-oh-muse](https://sing-in-me-oh-muse.tumblr.com)!
> 
> \---
> 
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> 
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